The main event! The one we’ve been teasing since we started announcing panels for the Avalon Expo Writer’s Block is finally here: Lit Wars: Tolkien v. King! 6:00-6:50pm Saturday August 26 at MILE ONE Avalon Expo!

Lit Wars will be an hour-long debate to decide, once and for all, which epic fantasy is better: Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings or King’s The Dark Tower. Teams of two will head off against one another to defend their respective kingdom and be crowned: the Lit Warrior!

For team Tolkien:Dr. Christopher Lockett, an associate professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Though his main area of specialization is twentieth century American literature, his enthusiasms (academic and otherwise) range widely into film and television, fantasy, cultural studies, and the ongoing definitions of humanism
And: Ellen Curtis, the editor of Fantasy from the Rock who has been a prolific fantasy author since the age of fifteen and currently writes for the Infinity series, Newfoundland Quarterly Online, and is a member of the WANL Board as Youth Representative.

For team King: Matthew LeDrew, the author of over a dozen books, including Questing the Dark Tower: An essay examining the concept of Stephen King’s Dark Tower as it applies to Derrida’s theory of the Pharmakon.
And: Heather Reilly, author of the Binding of the Almatraek series of YA fantasy novels, and recipient of the Noble Artist’s Author of the Month award for February 2015.

Moderated by Mike Connors of NTV! Watch as this Lit Nerds engage in Lit Warfare and… let’s be honest, it’s Matt and Heather against Ellen and a MUN Prof. You’re coming to watch Matthew get powned… in the nerd battle that will last from the time of Middle Earth until the crumbling of the Dark Tower itself!! Be there!!

Now that your manuscript is done, get advice on the often overlooked stage of the writing process: editing! Led by three of the genre communities most prominent editors, Erin Vance, AJ Ryan, and Heather Reilly, this panel will take you through how to get an editor, the types of editing, and how to manage the feedback you get from your editor.

Join us Sunday, August 27 from 11am-12:15pm at the Avalon expo Writer’s Block to learn more about this important part of the publishing process! 🙂

The next Writer’s Block course we’d like to announce as happening during Avalon Expo is Writing for Fantasy and Paranormal, which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday August 26th from 2-2:50PM!

The panel will be hosted by Heather Reilly (Binding of the Almatraek) and Amanda Labonté (Call of the Sea, Supernatural Causes), two of the leaders in genre writing in the province, after the explosive success of their duo at Sci-Fi on the Rock 11!

As we’re about to head into June, we feel it’s time we announced the second half of our amazing 10th anniversary plans! We have some more incredible title to announce, as well as appearances at some of our country’s greatest conventions and some special events of our own as well!

New TitlesSupernatural Causes: Critical Condition by Amanda Labonté. The second novella in the ongoing adventures of College freshmen Liesel Andrews as she interns at St. Benedict’s Hospital for the Underworld. Releasing June 15!

Jacobi Street by Matthew LeDrew. LeDrew returns to his horror roots with this supernatural thriller stand-alone novel that sheds light on the most dangerous and disturbing corners of the Engen Universe, and is the last novel to take place during ‘Black September,’ the loose collection of events that span Black Womb, Infinity, and Transformations in Pain. See LeDrew’s twisted take on some of horror’s most sacred icons. Releasing August 25, 2017 as a part of Avalon Expo!

Supernatural Causes Episode 3 releasing August 2017!

Zombies on the Rock: The Viking Trail by Paul Carberry. Carberry returns to his violent and gore-filled world where the evil Pharmakon corporation have let a plague of zombies loose upon the world, and we see this through the eyes of normal rural Newfoundlanders just trying to survive. The ultimate clash of culture and pop-culture! Releasing December 2017!

Faith by Matthew LeDrew. We couldn’t round out our tenth year without returning to the character that started it all. In the third book in the Xander Drew series, Xander sees the return of some of his oldest and most feared enemies and the demons of his past come back to haunt him in Los Angeles… and for those waiting for all-out Womb action over the last two books, you’ll get it! Releasing December 2017!

Events

Central Pop Con: June 11-12 2017. Includes appearances by Ellen Curtis (Infinity, From the Rock), Amanda Labonté (Call of the Sea, Supernatural Causes), & Heather Reilly (Fantasy from the Rock)! In the area? Join the facebook group for a special panel!

International Small Island Culture Conference: June 15-19, 2017! Nearly 60 presenters will be attending from Newfoundland and Labrador, elsewhere in Canada, Australia, Cayman Islands, France, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States. The topics are just as varied, and will include presentations on island identity, narratives, music, legends, mythology, literature, migration, gender, fisheries, tourism, creative industries, geography, health and wellness! Engen Books has been invited to take part in this event to celebrate the changing landscape of Newfoundland Culture!

Atlanticon: September 15-17 2017: Includes appearances by Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), Matthew LeDrew, Nicholas Morine (Fantasy from the Rock, Kowloon Walled City), Sarah Thompson (light|dark), Heather Reilly, and Scott Bartlett! One day only appearance by Amanda Labonté!

September 20, 2017: Novel Writing Foundations: Starting Right to Make sure you Cross the Finish Line, presented by T.H.E., a 6-week adult learning course aimed at making sure authors writing for both pleasure or publication start off with the right tools to ensure their work reaches fruition. This course will feature a mix of short instruction and group feedback on your work led by Matthew LeDrew, the author of 17 novels and partner at prominent local fiction publisher Engen Books.

I was asked to write an update about my experience at SciFi on the Rock last weekend, but where do I even start?

For someone who had never attended the convention in full, I think the biggest surprise for me was how fast the time flew. I thought the hours at the tables would creep by. But three days have never gone so quickly.

Going back and forth between the Writer’s Alliance of NL (WANL) community table and the Engen Books table in the vendor room, I got to meet and connect with so many readers and writers. I have always believed speculative fiction readers are some of the most devoted in existence and, after last weekend, I am even more convinced. The enthusiasm from the attendees truly made the conference for me. Continue reading Mischief managed: SciFi on the Rock update | Amanda Labonté→